Game Day Gear: United States Coast Guard Academy Home

As we get closer to Memorial Day weekend and the MCLA regular season came to an end we pay tribute in this Game Day Gear to the United States Coast Guard Academy Bears men's team. Competing in DII of the MCLA makes it tough to get their gear sponsored, but the Coast Guard have some gear that would have you thinking otherwise. The Bears were out in style this past season rocking customized equipment by Cascade, STX, Nike, Adrenaline and Lacrosse Wear uniforms.

Here are some great stories about the U.S. Coast Guard Lacrosse players mostly spotlighting the 2011 seniors:

A big thank you to Commander Cross, Paul Duddy and second cadet Brian Muldoon for their great work capturing the Bears' uniforms and gear.

Check back with IL for more Game Day Gear coverage as well as many other teams from around the Country, but first take a look at the 2011 U.S. Coast Guard Academy's Home Collection. LAAAX!

Commander Sean M. Cross gives us some insight on the significance of the uniforms, "The left sleeve is adorned with the the Coast Guard seal. The central visual in the seal is the Coast Guard shield. The crossed anchors of the shield have been a symbol of the Coast Guard for many years. The 1790 date located on the bottom depicts the year the Revenue Cutter Service, the Coast Guard’s predecessor, was established. Founded by Alexander Hamilton as the Revenue Cutter Service on 4 August 1790, the Coast Guard lays claim to being the United States' oldest continuous seagoing service."

Commander Cross goes on to explain,"The right sleeve is adorned with the Lieutenant John M. Senyard tribute graphic to honor his contributions to the Coast Guard Lacrosse program. He was instrumental in starting the Academy lacrosse program and is considered the “founder of Coast Guard Academy Lacrosse”. He perished while completing mission work in Africa in 1989 carrying on the Coast Guard's proud humanitarian heritage. The graphic consists of his initials and the Coast Guard Academy Class of 1983 crest. "

Cross on the "Bear in the Sailor Hat" logo, "The left leg of the game short is adorned with the “Bear in the Sailor Hat” logo. The legacy of one of the most dramatic rescues in Coast Guard history is a constant reminder to Cadets of the importance of fitness, teamwork and perseverance. The long time Academy mascot, the Bear, was chosen to honor the renowned Coast Guard Cutter of the same name. In 1897, the Revenue Cutter Bear embarked upon one of her greatest missions. After a busy summer she was heading south for the winter, and put into Seattle along the way. There she was met with the news that 8 whaling ships with 265 men aboard were trapped in the ice off Point Barrow, the northern point of Alaska. President McKinley personally asked if Bear would try a rescue dash, although no vessel had ever sailed north at that time of year. Bear accepted the challenge, and sailed north on 27 November, with a volunteer crew. She drove northward into the cold, stormy seas for many days, finally grinding to a halt in the ice at Cape Vancouver, Nelson Island. She was still 1200 miles from the whalers. Three of her officers, Lieutenants Jarvis and Bertholf and Surgeon Call voluntarily left the Bear to trek through across the ice to the whalers. Their remarkable journey took 120 days, averaging 10 miles a day. For 800 miles they drove a herd of reindeer ahead of them, to feed the trapped men. They were just in time. When the rescue party arrived with the herd of reindeer, the whalers had run out of food and were reduced to eating their boots. Bear plowed forward again in the spring, finally arriving off Point Barrow in July. She was promptly trapped in the ice herself; the pressure of the ice bulged her decks and threatened to break her rudder. Only by an all-hands effort to cut the ice away from her hull was the ship saved. With the rescue completed, she sailed south and broke out of the ice."

"No one seems to know exactly how Semper Paratus (latin for Always Ready) was chosen as the Coast Guard’s motto, but the first recorded use was by the New Orleans Bee newspaper in the 1830s, in reference to the actions of the Revenue Cutter Service (precursor to today’s Coast Guard). Its first official appearance was on the Coast Guard Standard in 1910. This flag is used in parades and carries the battle honors of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has participated in every major U.S. conflict from 1790 through today, including landing troops on D-Day and on the Pacific Islands in World War II, in extensive patrols and shore bombardment during the Vietnam War, and multiple roles in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Maritime interception operations, coastal security, transportation security, and law enforcement detachments have been its major roles in recent conflicts in Iraq. The “tail” of the Coast Guard Academy’s practice reversible is labeled with a “lacrosse play” on the motto," Commander Cross told us.

information on the u.s. coast guard

As the smallest of the five U.S. service academies, the Coast Guard Academy offers the elite higher education, rigorous professional development, and honor and tradition of a military academy but with a more personalized approach.

The CGA offers an integrated life experience which emphasizes academics, physical fitness, character and leadership, in order to graduate officers of the highest caliber. Graduates go directly to positions of leadership in "The Shield of Freedom," one of the most admired organizations in the world. The Academy also features an impressive teacher-student ratio and picturesque waterfront campus that instills a traditional small college feel.

Cadets devote themselves to an honor concept and graduate to work at sea, on land, in the air, and even in space, in meaningful careers of selfless service to others.